14.5.5 : Watershed management strategy
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) has implemented a comprehensive, location-specific Watershed Management Strategy by signing a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) with Malaysia Marine and Heavy Engineering Holdings Berhad (MHB) to launch the MHB River Rehabilitation Programme. This strategic partnership, initiated in July 2024, is explicitly focused on rehabilitating the Sungai Buluh watershed in Pasir Gudang, Johor.
This programme is a powerful demonstration of UTM's commitment to SDG 14 (Life Below Water), particularly the sub-target concerning the sustainable management of aquatic ecosystems. The core of the strategy is a detailed 3-year roadmap developed by the Centre for Environmental Sustainability and Water Security (IPASA) at UTM, in collaboration with the Pasir Gudang City Council (MBPG) and the local community.
The key actions within this strategy directly address the mandate to manage the location-specific diversity of aquatic species by mitigating the root causes of environmental degradation:
- Pollution Mitigation (River Revitalisation): The program's focus on "mitigating pollution threats" in Sungai Buluh is the primary means of reducing physical, chemical, and biological alterations to the aquatic ecosystem. By cleaning the river, the strategy ensures the survival and proliferation of the indigenous aquatic flora and fauna.
- Capacity Building and Training: This component ensures the sustainability of the project by involving and educating the local community, turning them into active stewards of their watershed. This local expertise is vital for long-term monitoring and protection of native aquatic species.
- Greening and Decarbonisation: These efforts contribute to the overall health of the watershed by stabilizing riverbanks (reducing physical alteration and sedimentation) and improving the surrounding terrestrial environment, which directly impacts the quality of the river water and the habitat for aquatic life.
By establishing this multi-stakeholder partnership and implementing a targeted, long-term roadmap on a specific river system, UTM moves beyond general environmental policy to a pragmatic, science-driven watershed management strategy that is directly responsive to the unique ecological needs and aquatic species diversity of Sungai Buluh.
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Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) is implementing an advanced, location-specific Watershed Management Strategy that directly supports the conservation of endangered aquatic species like the dugong in the Straits of Johor.
This strategy is anchored by the innovative work of the Geoscience and Digital Earth Center (INSTeG) group, which employs cutting-edge Earth Observation Satellite (EOS) data and Geospatial-based Ecological Modelling to address the increasing ecological pressures from significant coastal economic development.
The core of UTM's approach is:
- Spatio-temporal Monitoring of Critical Habitat: The project focuses on monitoring seagrass habitat—the dugong’s primary food source—through two-step multi-temporal Landsat satellite imagery. This approach allows for the highly accurate quantification and mapping of seagrass biomass, which is the single most influential factor in determining dugong habitat suitability.
- Integration of Local Knowledge (Fisher Surveys): To ensure the management strategy is truly location-specific and holistic, UTM conducts fisher surveys across 28 sampling sites in 15 fishing villages along the coast. This method is crucial for establishing a credible dugong census, mapping their distribution, and gathering data on fishing pressure, which is a major threat to these marine mammals.
- Predictive Ecological Modelling: Using the Maximum Entropy (MaxEnt) modeling technique, UTM integrates data on dugong presence, seagrass biomass, water depth, distance to shore, and land reclamation areas to create a detailed Habitat Suitability Map. This model provides policymakers with informed decisions regarding marine environmental regulation, demonstrating that the presence of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs)—like those off the eastern coast—results in less fishing pressure and better dugong population outcomes.
By utilizing this multi-layered, data-intensive approach, UTM has not only advanced its research but has also informed the United Nations Regional Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services for Asia and the Pacific with four policy citations, fulfilling the mandate for a science-based, location-specific strategy to manage the coastal watershed and protect its vulnerable aquatic diversity.
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